Romans 4:17-22 // Saving Faith

(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. (Romans 4:17-22)

Verse 16 describes how the promise to Abraham was not about his physical descendants only but about those who shared his faith. It goes on to say that Abraham is the father of us all (every Christian I take it). Verse 17 offers evidence for the universality of the promise to Abraham from Genesis 17:5: ...a father of many nations have I made thee.

So perhaps I stopped last time a little bit early. Because I cut off in the middle of a sentence. In my defence, Paul writes incredibly long sentences.

Anyway, verse 17 carries on the idea of verse 16: We all receive the benefits of the promise made to Abraham if we have his faith, because he is the father of all of us because the God he believed in is beyond our human limitations. God can restore life to the man who has died and turned to dust or ashes, if he can do that he can make me to be a son of Abraham. God can speak in a vacuum and stars and planets come into existence, if he can do that he can make me to be a son of Abraham.

So because of his belief in God's infinite power and reliability, Abraham hoped that he would have a son with Sarah, even though perhaps he sometimes thought he was crazy. God had specifically promised him physical descendants, and he took God at his word and although he and his wife were very old he did the necessary thing to make it come true, the part that was possible for him to act. This is the faith of Abraham, a belief that leads to action, and an action that requires belief. He gave glory to God in this, which must surely mean that well before there was any evidence of it, he told people that Jehovah was going to give him a child with Sarah. People would have laughed at him, and perhaps at God, but when the thing came true, people would give God the glory rather than Abraham.

The art of giving God the glory is an important and difficult one. But when you have a promise from God (a real promise that applies to you) then speak and act as if you are certain it is true, even if you have doubts. When it comes true, God will be glorified.